We have come to the end of a brilliant term, one that has been filled with many highlights and wonderful opportunities for student learning and community participation. Congratulations to the children who all gave their very best at our Cross Country Carnival this morning. It was a very successful event, with the added bonus of glorious weather. Thank you Mr Geering for your hard work in organising the carnival, thank you teachers, and thank you to the very large number of parents who assisted us. Without your help we could not have held this event. Congratulations especially to the following first, second and third place getters :

5 Year Girls - Amery Wong, Cailtyn Yan, Taylor King
5 Year Boys - Samuel Muir, Rossario Squadrito
6 Year Girls - Alanna Peric, Esther Lord, Charlotte Kirkland
6 Year Boys - Charlie Harkins, Finlay Peters, Marcus Reitz
7 Year Girls - Marnie Laurence (New Course Record), Chloe Mertens, Ashley Cavenagh
7 Year Boys - Oliver Burke (New Course Record), Hudson Sebastian, Roy James
8 Year Girls - Maya Vojvodic, Saskia Van Geloven, Zali McCarthy
8 Year Boys - Marcus Tan, Anthony Chorafitis, Ned Lord
9 Year Girls - Lola Upfold, Ivy Boyle, Jade Johnston
9 Year Boys - Tommy Lord, Masion Retif, Caleb So
10 Year Girls - Cailtyn Lee, Emma Li, Georgia Breakspear
10 Year Boys - Tom Burke, Henry Morris, Ziggy Edwards
11 Year Girls - Anna Macri (New Course Record), Ella English, Gemma So
11 Year Boys - Nicholas Hickman, Dante Fern, Jai Cavenagh
12 Year Girls - Milly Elphick, Riley Gordon, Mia Webster
12 Year Boys - Huon Groves/Callum Forato (equal) (New Course Record - by 90 seconds!), Jack Tremain Will Le Poer Trench

World Peace Game

It certainly has been an ‘event’, hosting the World Peace Game. We were delighted to have students from Mt Sinai College and St Aloysius join us, along with approximately 40 teachers and educators from all over Australia. Thank you Mr John Hunter and your team from the USA and the US Embassy, for making this opportunity possible. Two of our Claremont participants, Max Stone & Nathaniel Gibson (Year 5 students) have written a brilliant article about the game and their experience, and I encourage you to read this below.

I am so very proud of the Claremont students who so capably represented our School.

Be Blessed and Thank you

As Term 3 comes to a close, I would like to thank the Claremont staff team for their energy, passion, commitment and dedication to all that they do. They do so much for our students and school and I acknowledge that they certainly go 'above and beyond' to make this place great... no wonder you are exhausted! I appreciate them so much - thank you.

I wish all of our staff and Claremont families a safe and relaxing break. My prayers are with you all, and I look forward to seeing you in two weeks time, for what is going to be a fantastic Term 4. No doubt Term 4 will fly by and we will reflect and wonder “where did the year go”... so let’s enjoy and count our blessings, not wishing the days away. Time with our children and the people we love is a gift, so be blessed!

Doug Thomas  
Principal

  Follow me @DougJThomas

Article written by Max Stone and Nathaniel Gibson 

This term Mrs Eu, Miss Morrison and Mr Ko had the privilege of attending a three-day professional learning experience delivered by Apple. 

Professional Learning Specialists

The content focused on the features of iOS devices, Apple apps, and Apple resources for learning and teaching. The purpose of the Apple Learning Institute is to enhance the readiness of individuals for their role in developing the foundational and integration level skills of educators in their schools.

Our three staff each received a certificate recognising each of them as Apple Learning Leaders.

The objectives of the PD included:

• Expanding personal skills in iOS and Apple apps;
• Enhancing awareness and usage of Apple program resources for professional learning;
• Creating professional learning implementation plans for the schools involved;
• Developing professional learning communities with a focus on technology; and
• Understanding how Apple technology and resources can support school priorities.

Selection for this Apple Learning Institute required an invitation by Apple, so our staff felt very fortunate to have been included.

The key take-aways for our staff, as well as the objectives above:

• The Apple PD was amazing and motivating;
• It was great to hear about what other schools are doing and their journey using Apple products;
• All very excited about the possibilities using Apple Apps not yet explored;
• Greater understanding of Apple management systems; and
• The possibilities using Apple Pencils in teaching and learning.  

Next term Mrs Eu, Miss Morrison and Mr Ko will begin a new section in our weekly newsletter, called ‘TECHY TIPS’, each week sharing fun and useful tips iPad use.

Janelle Ford
Deputy Principal

Last week our Year 3 and Year 5 students received their NAPLAN results. Our students have done very well and can be very proud of their achievements.

We are able to give you our results compared to state averages, including Year 7 students, that is, our Year 6 Students from 2018.

The table below gives you the students in the top 2 bands in each part of the assessments.

In past years we have been able to give you comparisons to schools in The Association of Independent Schools Group, and therefore similar schools to Claremont College, however we have not received this data.

By summarising all of the numbers, Claremont College students out-perform the state averages in all of these assessment tasks. As a school we now carefully consider the results and look for areas for improvement as well as looking at areas we do well in, to ensure we consolidate these results, as the students continue on their learning journey.

It is also important for us to understand the results on an individual basis so that NAPLAN does not become an end product of learning, but just one of many means of understanding each child’s basic skills. From NAPLAN and from any assessment task it is more important to look at the ‘where to next’, rather than looking at the results and not using them as part of the process of ongoing learning.

Why NAPLAN data is important to us:

We believe that “every child can learn and has the right to learn (and therefore) to optimise classroom teacher effectiveness, we need to know on an ongoing basis that every child is learning by making ongoing assessments and by incorporating that information about each child’s learning into daily instruction (as) a nonnegotiable practice” (Sharrat & Fullan, Putting Faces on the Data, 2012, 29). NAPLAN data is one part of the suite of assessments that helps us to understand each and every child’s learning.

Mrs Janelle Ford
Deputy Principal

Celebrating Strengths & Talents of Children with Dyslexia

At Claremont College we practise a fully inclusive approach to learning through flexible learning spaces, co-teaching and differentiated learning so ALL students can learn. This approach alleviates the need for withdrawal and traditional interventions, by providing learning opportunities, within an environment where every student is capable of successful learning. We provide access to a wide variety of adjustments and tools that are available to students with and without diagnosed difficulties to extend, support and inspire.

We support increasing the awareness of how different students learn through our inclusive approach and we have travelled the world sharing our effective approach to supporting each student to learn.  Dyslexia Awareness Month is an opportunity to support a growing group of students in our school, and to

• raise awareness about dyslexia with our entire school community;
• support and empower those students in our school with dyslexia;
• enhance the everyday experience of students with dyslexia; and
• make others aware of all the adjustments in place for our students. 

This year some Year 5 students with dyslexia, would like you to join with them to raise awareness of ‘what is dyslexia’, and what are the myths and facts surrounding dyslexia.

If your child is happy to be identified as a student with dyslexia, please let the office know, so they can be part of the planning team.

Watch the next few newsletters for details of REaD t-shirt day and other activities.

What is Dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in the awareness of individual sounds in a word (ability to identify and manipulate separate sounds within words), verbal memory and verbal processing speed. Dyslexia occurs across the range of intellectual abilities.

Busting the Myths

❌ Coloured lenses or eye exercises will not help Dyslexia as it is not related to vision. Dyslexia is neurological. So a child with dyslexia may need glasses, but not for their dyslexia.

❌ Dyslexia is not related to IQ, in fact people with dyslexia often have normal to high IQs.

The Facts (Australian Dyslexia Association 2018)

👍 Dyslexia is genetic and the severity can range from mild to severe

👍 There is no greater prevalence of dyslexia in boys than girls

👍 In Australia “Dyslexia is estimated to affect some 10% of the population”

👍 A student with dyslexia can learn to be a successful reader if taught using the right approaches and given the right support, though often their reading is not as automatic and fluent as those without dyslexia. Students with dyslexia also often have working memory as an area of weakness.

👍 Claremont College implements two reading programs, proven to have a positive impact on literacy for students with dyslexia. These are:

The Orton Gillingham-MSL approach: www.multisensoryeducation.net.au; and
the MacqLit reading program.

For more information on Dyslexia, please visit or pop in for a chat.

Brenda Dalheim
Head of Learning Support

Next term we will be swapping the Primary and Infants lunch times. This will mean:

• Infants children will now have their lunch break 12:20pm to 1:05pm, and
• Primary children will now have their lunch break 1:05pm to 1:50pm. 

The second change next term will be that we will be taking one Primary year group off-site during the Primary lunch break, to give the students an alternative outdoor experience, and to reduce the numbers of Primary students on the playground. We will send home the final details about these off-site experiences at the beginning of Term 4.

This week the focus is on Year 5.

Our positive behaviour focus in the first week of Term 4 will be: 

'Wear your summer uniform correctly and with pride.'

Larissa Cameron
Deputy Principal

The high standard of presentation of the school uniform is an important value of our school, and this is something that Claremont has had a longstanding reputation for in our community. Your support is appreciated as we maintain this fine tradition of our school.

A reminder that children are to return to school next term in their Summer Uniform. Please check the length of your daughter’s tunic, as it must not be above the knee. Boys must also have shirts that are long enough to be adequately tucked in or be wearing one of the newer shirts that do not need to be tucked in at all. During Summer the blazer is not compulsory but can still be worn for warmth. The jumper however, cannot be worn to school or home from school without the blazer but can be worn whilst at school. The boys’ vest can be worn as part of the summer uniform, with or without the blazer. Once your child no longer needs his/her blazer, please ensure that it is dry cleaned and ready for Speech Day in December, as children are to wear their blazer on this day. Many blazers need new buttons and these can be purchased from the Uniform Shop. The Sports Uniform continues to require predominantly white sneakers.

Girls’ headbands and ribbons must be bottle green whether they are in summer, winter or sports uniform. The uniform shop stocks a range of headbands, ribbons and scrunchies that meet the school standards.

School resumes on Tuesday 15 October.

TERM 4 

Once again this year, Claremont will be holding the AMAZING ME Sex Education Seminar to support our families. The evening, which will be held in Term 4 on Wednesday 30 October, aims to provide information to children and families in this important area of personal development. Feedback from past evenings has always been overwhelmingly positive with many parents commenting on how appreciative they are that the school provides the opportunity for positive family discussion in this area. 

Our AMAZING ME educator will again be Rowena Thomas. Rowena is a primary school teacher (and Mr Thomas’ wife) who has had many years experience in this area. Rowena’s talks are always lively, informative and lots of fun. There will be two separate seminars that are optional for students in Years 3 to 6 to attend with their parents. The first seminar will begin at 6:00pm. This talk will focus on the difference between girls’ and boys’ bodies and how babies are made. This session is recommended and aimed for students (and their parents) in Years 3 and 4, but other years are welcome. 

The second talk (7:15pm to 8:15pm) will focus on puberty and some of the emotional and physical changes children can expect at this stage in their lives. This seminar is recommended for students in Years 5 and 6. Parents have the option of attending one or both sessions, regardless of whether your child is in Year 3, 4, 5 or 6. Whilst the sessions are not aimed for Infants children, some parents have asked if they can bring their child who is in Year 2, along with his or her older siblings. This is suitable but the decision to attend, however, is entirely up to parents as you may feel that you would like your children, and your family as a whole, to have this knowledge. This is not a compulsory event, rather a resource to parents who wish to take up this opportunity, but children in Kindy or Year 1 do not attend at all. 

The cost of the sessions is: $30 per family for one session or $35 per family for two sessions.

AMAZING ME will take place in the school hall.

Please follow the LINK to register. The cost will be charged to your next term account.

Year 3 - Term 4 Camp @ Winmalee - 6-8 November - Parent Portal

Year 4 - Term 4 Camp @ Galston Gorge - 6-8 November - Parent Portal

Year 5 - Term 4 Camp @ The Tops - 6-8 November - Parent Portal

Year 6 - Term 4 Camp @ Lake Macquarie - 6-8 November - - Parent Portal 

Year 2 - La Perouse & Afternoon Activities Excursion - 8 November - Parent Portal

Year 4 - Introduction to Debating Incursion - 24 October - Parent Portal

Year 4 - Sculptures by the Sea Excursion - 28 October - Parent Portal 

Year 5 - Anglicare Dorothy Boyt Nursing Home Visits - various dates - Parent Portal

AMEB Results

Taka Maven (Year 3) recently passed the AMEB piano and violin exams. He worked really hard to prepare for these exams and he's also really proud for doing his best. Well done Taka.

Claremont's Got Talent

Woohoo! The time has arrived. Claremont's Got Talent will take place in Term 4 for all aspiring singers, musicians, dancers and any other unique talents. Our Year 6 leaders revved up the school to encourage students to prepare over the holidays. We will take ‘sign ups’ on the first week back and the first round will start Week 2. 

Students need to work on this over the holidays to ensure their piece is performance ready. Each solo or group must choose a house to represent. Each piece cannot be longer than 2 minutes and will be judged with a rubric, so aim to entertain! 

We can't wait to see what amazing talent Claremont has to offer this year. The finals will take place early Term 4, so watch this space. 

Mrs Tara Barr
Head of Music

Year 2, our Premier’s Reading Challenge champions

Yesterday, Year 2 students basked in the sunshine while munching into their well deserved ice creams. With a whopping 48% of them completing the 2019 PRC, Year 2 won themselves an ice cream party, narrowly defeating Year 3 in second place, with our youngest little readers in Kindergarten taking out third place. 

Congratulations to Year 2, and to each student who completed the challenge. 

Mrs Stephanie Affleck
Teacher/Librarian

New Titles To the Library Collection

Nonfiction Title

This guide book introduces the reader to the basics of coding and the online coding platform called Scratch. It covers all the essentials: coding tools, where to find them, and how to use them. There are helpful tips and tricks, simple coding techniques and easy to follow visual instructions all guaranteed to help you master the basics of coding.

Fiction Title

Kate DiCamillo is a New York Times best-selling author and one of America’s most well-regarded storytellers. This is a funny, engaging and heartfelt novel about a girl called Flora and a squirrel called Ulysses who has superpowers.  The two friends have plenty of fun and adventure together in this title.

The illustrator is Keith G.Campbell and his illustrations add something special to this novel. This novel is interspersed with comic style graphic sequences and full page illustrations, all in black and white.   

Recommended for ages 8+ years.

Mrs Susan Kesur
Library Assistant

Upcoming Events

Thursday 24 October - Cricket Blast School Cup Regional Final
Monday 28 October - Year 5-6 Basketball Gala Day

Cricket Gala Day

The Cricket Gala Day was this week at sunny Coral Sea Park. In total we had 8 teams participate in the gala day from Grades 3-6, including 3 girls teams. Students had a great day competing in small sided modified cricket games against other schools. For some students it was the first time they’d ever taken part in a cricket match and they loved the opportunity to try something new and develop their skills throughout the day.

The Year 5 and 6 teams were playing for a spot in the Cricket Blast School Cup Regional Final. Congratulations to the ‘Claremont Scorchers’ (Emily Chambiras, Jacinta Cortis, Zoe Costa, Charli Dodd, Millie Elphick, Riley Gordon, Jade Hastings, Anna Macri and Mia Webster) who went undefeated throughout the day, winning the Grand Final to secure themselves a spot in the Regional Finals. The team were very grateful for the assistance of their coach, Jackson Dodd. 

Well done to all the other teams who represented Claremont exceptionally well, showing excellent Sportsmanship and teamwork at all times. A huge thanks to the staff, Mrs Robinson, Mrs James, Mrs Breakspear and parents Mr Birch, Mr Breakspear and Mrs Dodd, who helped out and managed a team on the day. A few photos of the day are included below. Keep an eye out for the whole gallery on the website soon. 

Photos from folder ‘extra cricket photos’

Sixers Cricket League

For students interested in learning more about cricket and local clubs, there is an event being run by Sydney South East Cricket on Sunday 13 October at Rowland Park, Daceyville for ages 5 and up. See the attached brochure for more information. 

Cross Country Carnival

A photo gallery has been created on the school website from today’s carnival. Click here.

Password: inspired4life

Joel Geering 
Sport and PDHPE

Congratulations to the Angklung group who performed at Assembly. They spent weeks rehearsing with Jo, and we will be seeing more of them. Terima kasih! 

The Years 3 and 4 group dances were amazing, too. After many weeks of practise, we were entertained with an impressive performance. Bagus! 

As usual the Suara Indonesia Dance workshops with Aletta, Jo dan Bravo were such fun. The wonderful dancers from Suara Indonesia conducted an exciting program for both Infants and Primary students. Dances included Bajido Kahop, a West Java Bali combination, the Rantak dance from West Sumatra, Ratoh Duek a dance from Aceh and Randai (Drum Pants) dance from West Sumatra. Singing with Infants, Jo included the favourite children’s song Disini Senang Disana Senang

The Indonesian mothers produced an amazing activity for Primary students. They prepared all the ingredients for the Indonesian national dish, Nasi Tumpeng.

Mrs Ward and her team transformed the Y4 classroom space into an Indonesian restaurant and all the children were clearly very impressed.

Turmeric coconut rice
Potato fritters
Chicken satay
Prawn crackers
Fresh vegetables

The children put a banana leaf on a small pine boat, moulded the rice into a mini cone shape, decorated with side dishes with the final decorative touch of banana leaves cone and Indonesian flag.

A huge thankyou to the following team members Margaretha Sutjiadi (Taka Year 3), Debbie Sudyatmiko (Sarah Year 3), Margalena Zakaria (Jeremy Year 6) and Stella Surjani (Adam Year 2). 

If you would like to have the full recipe please contact the Office.

Bu Jill
Indonesian Teacher

What a wonderful morning had by all. Firstly I would like to thank Melanie Fleming and Giovanni Lo Nero for donating their time today, your contribution has been invaluable. This event has surely built an understanding of this integral part of Italian culture for our young students.   VIVA ITALIA !!

Aye, Miss McKersie and Mrs Crerar had a bonnie time with the wee lassies and laddies when they travelled to the Highlands of Scotland. The children learnt all about traditional Scottish dance, in particular the highland fling. They were flinging around the class with glee to the dulcet tones of the bagpipes. 

On this rainy day, much akin to the Scottish Highlander weather, students learnt some interesting facts about the Scottish country and culture.

Here are some of the facts below for you to enjoy:

Scotland’s national animal is a unicorn.

Scottish people invented ATM’s, flushing toilets, MRI scanner, Dolly the Sheep, tarmac.

The Scots invented golf with St Andrew’s considered as the ‘home of golf’.The shortest commercial flight in the world is in Scotland.

Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in the world. There are 790 islands in Scotland.

Quotes from the day -

“I learned that the Scots invented the TV.” - Gulliver Yang
“I have Scottish heritage, we belong to the Stewart Clan.” - Tom Lord
“I forgot Alexander Fleming was actually from Scotland.”  - Luke Bunyard
“We loved the Scottish dancing!” - Jade Johnston and Saskia Van Geloven 

Indian Rangoli Art is traditionally a free-hand symmetrical floor illustration made using coloured rice, dry flour, coloured sand or flower petals. Mrs Prasad taught the Kindergarten, Year One and Year Two students how to create coloured-sand artworks using stencils. Students learned how Rangoli is traditionally used during celebrations such as weddings and Diwali. They thoroughly enjoyed learning about and creating their own Rangoli art and we’d like to extend a huge thanks to Jen Prasad for taking the time to come in and share her culture.

The primary students learnt all about Vietnam and Vietnamese hats. The ‘Non La’ (hat leaf) are a traditional symbol of Vietnam and have an origin story that comes from a legend. The legend goes that during torrential downpours and flooded lands, a graceful goddess descended from the sky. She was wearing a giant hat made of four large leaves stitched together by bamboo sticks. The hat was so large that it sheltered people from the rain and she was able to dispel the clouds so that the people could return back to normal life. The students had the opportunity to make their own Non La. A special thanks to Linda and Damien Chee who lead the activity.

On School Photo Day, photos were taken of the following groups:

Captains & Prefects
House Captains & Vice Captains
CIS Representatives
Senior Choir
Junior Choir
Senior String Ensemble
Junior String Ensemble
Rock Band
Chess
Band

If your child participates in any of the above groups and you would like to purchase a photo (or view the photos prior to purchase), go to:

www.advancedlife.com.au 

Use the online code: 537 6V3 2EM

Cost: $20 per group photo

We would like to remind parents that a full term’s notice in writing is required if your child needs to be withdrawn from the school. In the event of failure to provide the required notice of withdrawal, a charge equal to 100% of the applicable term’s school fees will become payable, including all outstanding fees and charges, in addition to fees and charges payable in respect to the entire current term.

The Class of 2019 are inviting all Claremont Families to ‘The Great Big Aussie BBQ’. Bring the whole family for a magical night of family fun on Friday 25 October. There will be an array of delicious food, homemade baking, pedal powered milkshakes, an infant's hall with fun races for the little ones, the traditional ‘dunk the teacher tank’ and other exciting activities. Purchase your entry tickets, coupons and food NOW on Flexischools for earlybird specials.

If you are able to contribute to the event by baking your favourite treat this would also be appreciated, see flyer attached for more details.

Registration link for Term 4 - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/claremont-college-coding-class-term-4-2019-tickets-73119116245

If you have a child in Kindergarten and you would like them to start learning piano, please register by clicking  HERE.

Term 4 is just around the corner and we will be back in the kitchen making some delicious recipes with the kids.

Little Rainbow Chefs is for Kindy to Year 4 and will run on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:30pm.  We focus on teaching the children cooking skills, cutting, peeling and measuring accurately using our safety equipment. This term we will be making the most of our spring produce, with some dinner classics, yummy salads, and as always an opportunity to discover and try something new. There will be some sweet dishes in there, and we will be finishing with some festive treats that can be recreated at home.

Rainbow Chefs is for Years 5-6, and will run on Monday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:30pm.  We aim to teach new cooking skills and to make some delicious recipes that the students can recreate at home. In Term 4 we will be making Salmon and Potato Cakes with Pea Puree, Thai Chicken noodle soup, grilled chicken with panzella salad. They will also create some yummy sweets and of course some creative and fun festive treats to look forward to.

Monday classes will run 21 October - 2 December (7 weeks)
Tuesday classes will run 15 October - 3 December (8 weeks)

We cater for food allergies and food intolerance, and vegetarians.

We look forward to getting in the kitchen with the kids again next term. 

To register please CLICK HERE.

Many thanks,

Gabrielle Wheatley
Little Rainbow Chefs

Please remember to check Flexischool by Tuesday afternoon for the weekly Family Special. 

The Canteen is open 5 days a week. Please place your orders via Flexischools.

A reminder that children who bring their own food to school need to bring their own cutlery from home, only children who have ordered from the canteen will be provided with a spoon or fork.

Also due to WHS issues, the canteen is unable to heat food brought from home. 

All members of the extended Claremont family are warmly invited to come along and pray for our school community. Toddlers are also more than welcome.

The prayer group meets fortnightly on Thursdays at 8:45am. Please sign in at the school office.

The meeting date for Term 4 are 24 October, 7 November and 21 November.

For those parents who would like to pray for the school but are unable to attend the Prayer Group, you are now able to receive fortnightly prayer points. If you are interested in receiving the fortnightly prayer points or have any questions, please contact Vivian Yang via email vivian@yang.id.au

The Uniform Shop is open every Wednesday fortnight from 8am - 9am. 

Term 4 dates are:

Wednesday 16 October from 8:00am - 9:00am
Wednesday 30 October from 8:00am - 9:00am
Wednesday 13 November from 8:00am - 9:00am
and
Friday 29 November from 9:00am - 10:00am

The Uniform Shop is situated below the School Hall with entry via the small gate next to the units. Whether you can make it at this time or not, parents are encouraged to place online orders (especially if you are purchasing accessories) via Flexischools. Please note, the Uniform Shop does not accept any second hand clothing except for Claremont school uniforms. It is very inconvenient if you leave other items. Thank you.

Please note that all communication should be through the email address: clothingpool@claremont.nsw.edu.au

Please refrain from calling or texting Roxanne Fielding directly. 

School holidays are just around the corner. Our partner, TeamKids have a wonderful mix of excursions, incursions and in-house days planned that promise to keep the kids engaged and having fun. Download their program here. 

Special Bonus – 40 Boredom Busters for kids to do at home to help keep them off screens.

TeamKids will also be running a program on the Pupil Free Day, Monday 14 October. Click HERE for more details.